Erik Prince, recently outed as a participant in a C.I.A. assassination program, has gained notoriety as head of the military-contracting juggernaut Blackwater, a company dogged by a grand-jury investigation, bribery accusations, and the voluntary-manslaughter trial of five ex-employees, set for next month. Lashing back at his critics, the wealthy former navy seal takes the author inside his operation in the U.S. and Afghanistan, revealing the role he's been playing in America's war on terror.
I put myself and my company at the C.I.A.'s disposal for some very risky missions," says Erik Prince as he surveys his heavily fortified, 7,000-acre compound in rural Moyock, North Carolina. "But when it became politically expedient to do so, someone threw me under the bus." Prince--the founder of Blackwater, the world's most notorious private military contractor--is royally steamed. He wants to vent. And he wants you to hear him vent.
Erik Prince has an image problem--the kind that's impervious to a Madison Avenue makeover. The 40-year-old heir to a Michigan auto-parts fortune, and a former navy seal, he has had the distinction of being vilified recently both in life and in art. In Washington, Prince has become a scapegoat for some of the Bush administration's misadventures in Iraq--though Blackwater's own deeds have also come in for withering criticism. Congressmen and lawyers, human-rights groups and pundits, have described Prince as a war profiteer, one who has assembled a rogue fighting force capable of toppling governments. His employees have been repeatedly accused of using excessive, even deadly force in Iraq; many Iraqis, in fact, have died during encounters with Blackwater. And in November, as a North Carolina grand jury was considering a raft of charges against the company, as a half-dozen civil suits were brewing in Virginia, and as five former Blackwater staffers were preparing for trial for their roles in the deaths of 17 Iraqis, The New York Times reported in a page-one story that Prince's firm, in the aftermath of the tragedy, had sought to bribe Iraqi officials for their compliance, charges which Prince calls "lies ... undocumented, unsubstantiated [and] anonymous." (So infamous is the Blackwater brand that even the Taliban have floated far-fetched conspiracy theories, accusing the company of engaging in suicide bombings in Pakistan.) Lenghty balance at the link. Sez he's going to "teach high school." I suspect that won't last more than a week or two. Good luck to the lad, whatever fork he takes. Suzanne Simons writes about Blackwater (now Xe) and Prince in "Master of War." Pretty damn good read.
#1
...many Iraqis, in fact, have died during encounters with Blackwater.
Usually the result of firing upon Blackwater employees or their employer. But don't let a little thing like that stop your two minutes of hate. It's like reporting Iraqi deaths and not reporting that most of it was done by the terrorists.
#2
Long ago I suggested that Blackwater (Xe) needs to get out of CONUS. They are no safer in the US from lawfare than they were in Iraq from warfare. While they can keep administrative offices in the US, the bulk of their operations should be on their own island in the Caribbean.
The advantages of doing so are enormous. First of all, they can recruit top soldiers who are not US citizens. Second, they have no restrictions on their movements, their weaponry, or anything else.
All their operations would be by contract, and would include clear protections from both national (US and whatever country) and international (ICC) law.
They would no longer exclusively work for the US government, or be inclined to provide information on friendly nation contracts to the US government. They could willingly task org to other armies, arranging for non-NATO standard interoperability as well, if needed.
#3
Xe's training piece was or is it's original product line and hallmark. Fortunately or unfortunately, the original business model rooted them in North Carolina, an easy half day drive from the Beltway. The Bush years were for the most part, very user friendly for Xe. The current trend requires to further explanation. As the old saying goes, it is what it is.
#4
See also PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > ERIK PRINCE, FOUNDER OF BLACKWATER AGENCY, WAS A "CIA OPERATIVE".
D *** NG IT, weren't we all, at PENN STATE, + FBI + NSA, etal - DOES DIANE + ZARKEY/ZHARQHAWI KNOW [why yes, they do and did - you know, know nuthin' they tells ya]!
#4
In 2009, in January or February I met this friend of mine. He said he had come from meeting Sheikh Osama, and he could arrange for me to meet him," he said. According to the detainee, his contact is a Mehsud tribesman
Too late, again. This region has been largely ignored until recently, but after the Pak operation and the stepped up drone attacks, all the leaders reportedly took a little R & R in other ME countries to the west of there.
#5
Because a report that somebody spoke to somebody else almost a year ago who said he had spoken to Osama bin Laden somewhere else. It sounds like one of those urban legends that the Snopes people track down.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Russia is willing to do its part to help the United States and Europe achieve peace in Afghanistan, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday as more than 20 countries are planning to send more troops to Afghanistan. "We are obliged to help in Afghanistan ... what the armies of the United States and Europe are doing (in Afghanistan) is peacekeeping. This is very important because a threat for all Europe came from Afghanistan," Medvedev said.
Speaking at a news conference in Rome after meeting Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Medvedev made some of his most positive remarks about the prospect of bringing peace to Afghanistan since U.S. President Barack Obama announced an increase in American troops there two days ago. "President Obama, as a partner, called me and spoke to me of his new ideas for the work to be done in Afghanistan. I appreciated this. This is a serious position and we are ready to support the efforts of our partners, even with the possibility of transit that Russia permits," he said.
Russia already permits military cargo headed for Afghanistan to be moved across Russian territory.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Old Russian folktale:
"All the animals in the forest got together for a peace conference. The deer said we must outlaw the wolves' fangs. The wolves said those deer hooves have to go. The arguments threatened to escalate into open warfare. Then the Bear said I have the solution to all your problems: 'Let us abolish all except the great universal embrace'".
When Russia gets involved - caveat emptor.
Posted by: Herman Ebbolulet7400 ||
12/04/2009 11:34 Comments ||
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Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says Washington's decision to dispatch 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan will not stabilize the war-torn country.
Not if he can help it, anyway.
"The real solution for Afghanistan is to respect its sovereignty and let the Afghan people determine their own political fate," the Iranian official said late Wednesday.
"Increasing forces in Afghanistan will not resolve the crisis in that country," he added.
The world welcomed US President Barack Obama's slogan of change when he took office in January, but the world has yet to see any of the changes that he promised, the Iranian foreign minister said.
It wasn't you he intended to change.
On Tuesday, Obama announced that the US would increase the number of American soldiers in Afghanistan by some 40 percent, a move that would see Washington deploy another 30,000 soldiers.
The US president warned that the cost of the surge would exceed $30 billion this year alone.
"Going forward, I am committed to addressing these costs openly and honestly. Our new approach in Afghanistan is likely to cost us roughly $30 billion for the military this year, and I will work closely with Congress to address these costs as we work to bring down our deficit," Obama said.
Insurgency has skyrocketed in southern and eastern Afghanistan, where the Taliban has stepped up attacks against the US and NATO occupation troops utilizing roadside bombs and ambushes.
Having the CINC dither in public tends to produce that kind of response from fundamentalist illiterates with retro passions and few anger management skills.
More than 400 Western troops have lost their lives in the fighting in 2009, making it the deadliest year of the war since the beginning of the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
Since the start of the war, the US has made no substantial effort to detain top al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders such as Osama Bin Laden and Mullah Mohammed Omar, who are now believed to reside in Pakistan.
Ah, the DNC talking points have been distributed, I see.
Afghan civilian casualties in the first nine months of the year have also risen to 1,500 with many killed in US air raids, resulting in greater animosity toward the occupiers.
Yeah, it's not fair! We're the only ones who can kill with impunity because we're Pure. So knock it off!
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
dither
got a good plan, and even the Dems in congress are mainly going along with it. Worth the time, I am thinking.
besides, would the talibunnies have NOT stepped up attacks if the announcement had come earlier (given that troops wouldnt have arrived any sooner)? I dont think so.
#2
Yes, dither. Public announcements and displays of reluctance to lead.
CINC is not a 'management' job, and it certainly isn't a staff analyst job.
It's a leadership job and the current occupant of the white house is a miserable failure on that dimension - a failure that HAS discouraged allies and emboldened enemies in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
'Dither' is rather a mild description of the disastrous process we've seen played out in public for the last 5 months.
Then he announced a 'cast in stone' timetable for a pullout. (Translation: Sorry for the inconvience Taliban - if you just sit tight, rearm and resuppy for 18 months we'll be out of your hair and you can take over again - just like the North Vietmanese did....)
It's hard to imagine a worse sequence of events short of an immediate pullout.
[Dawn] Italy is to send between 500 and 1,500 troop reinforcements to Afghanistan in 2010 to back US President Barack Obama's new war strategy, a source in the defence ministry told AFP on Thursday.
'We are looking at figures ranging between 500 and 1,500,' said the source, adding that the final number would likely be 'fairly close' to 1,000.
In an interview with the Corriere della Sera daily, Italian Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa said that press reports of 1,500 reinforcements being sent were 'hypothetical.'
'It is a figure at the top end of the scale, and one that in no way have we settled on,' the minister added.
Italy, one of 43 countries which make up the US-led coalition in Afghanistan, currently has around 2,800 troops deployed in the war against Taliban insurgents and their Al-Qaeda allies, AFP reported.
The reinforcements would make Italy's one of the largest contingents in Nato's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Britain currently has the largest number of troops of any European country with around 9,500, Germany has around 4,500 while France has 3,300.
La Russa said that the bulk of the reinforcements were likely to arrive in the second half of 2010 after the return of around 1,000 Italian troops serving in Kosovo and a further 200 from Lebanon.
The minister gave his wholehearted backing to Obama's announcement on Tuesday that he would send another 30,000 US troops to the war which is now in its ninth year, saying that the Italians had always argued that the task of rebuilding AFghanistan could not be undertaken without a secure environment.
La Russa also told the newspaper that Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who was returned as president for a second term last month after an election riddled with fraud, had to step up efforts to combat graft and opium production.
'There must now be a serious war against corruption and the production of opium,' which is the raw ingredient for heroin, said the minister.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Wednesday that the credibility of Nato was at stake in Afghanistan.
'Italy is aware that the conflict in Afghanistan is not only about the future of the Afghan population but the credibility of Nato, the war against terrorism and our own security,' said the right-wing premier.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2009 00:00 ||
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Yemen's Houthi fighters warn about the "disastrous" humanitarian conditions in the northern Sa'adah province, where they say the Saudi army is targeting civilians.
"The humanitarian situation in Sa'adah is disastrous, because Saudi Arabia is bombarding all residential areas," the Houthis' spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam said in an interview with Iran's Arabic Alalam news network on Wednesday.
Abdul Salam drew a comparison between the Saudi attacks and the Israeli military offensive against the Gaza Strip earlier this year, which sparked pervasive condemnations for killing more than 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians.
He further deplored the international community's inaction toward the "blatant and savage atrocities" against the Yemeni civilians, noting that the world's silence gives the Saudi and Israeli armies the green light to go ahead with their "inhuman misconduct".
"What is going on in Yemen is a disgrace to those [international] organizations and institutions which claim to protect civilian rights as we see they care nothing for the civilian refugees."
The senior Houthi member said his people reserved the right to defend themselves against foreign invasions, warning Riyadh that its continued incursions would prompt a crushing response from the Yemenis, who he described as more united than ever before.
Abdul Salam condemned the Sana'a government as a "puppet in the hands of its Saudi masters" and responsible for "the massacre of the country's innocent women and children".
"Such a government lacks legitimacy," he stressed.
Human rights activists are concerned over reports of the Saudi army's use of forbidden weapons, including white phosphorous bombs, in civilian areas inside the Yemeni territory.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni army has reportedly targeted almost all water supplies to tighten the noose against the Shia fighters based in the north as part of the government's stepped-up offensive originally launched in August.
A lawmaker earlier complained that the Yemeni authorities prevented foreign aid shipments from reaching the displaced civilians and those affected by the conflict, but redirected them to military camps and pro-Sana'a tribal clans.
The Houthis took arms against the Sunni-dominated central government to extricate the country's Shia minority from what they called political, economic and religious marginalization.
Yemen has also been the scene of widespread protests in southern provinces where secessionists are calling for a return of the oil-rich south to the independent state it was before its unification with the north in 1990.
This article starring:
Mohammed Abdul Salam
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Or they are taking out the trash. Six of one, half dozen of the other.
Posted by: ed ||
12/04/2009 0:40 Comments ||
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#2
Dear Mohammed Abdul Salam:
It's not like the Saudis care, bro.
Love,
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
12/04/2009 7:51 Comments ||
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#3
All I had to do was look at the headline to know that the source is Iran PressTV. Nobody else cares.
SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's recent currency reform was implemented for the political, not economic, purposes of rebuilding its regime's ruling system, a South Korean lawmaker said on Friday.
"There must be two objectives behind North Korea's latest currency reform," Rep. Hwang Jin-ha, a chief policymaker of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP), said at a party meeting. "One is a desperate bid to maintain the regime. The other is to consolidate the ground for its power succession."
Neither have anything to do with currency reform or economics ...
Hwang said he believes the redenomination was aimed largely at reinforcing the communist Workers' Party's control over the society and increasing Jong-un's power base in the face of fledgling market economy brewing in the North.
"As long as the North takes a political approach to the economy, its economy can never be restored," the lawmaker stressed, noting North Koreans are suffering more than ever before because of the sudden reform.
The socialist state on Monday conducted its first currency revaluation in 17 years, according to various sources in China and South Korea. North Koreans have become angry and frustrated because most of their stashed-away money based on the previous banknotes has been chipped away, according to the sources.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/04/2009 00:00 ||
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The U.S. Defense Department has reportedly notified Korea that it will not transfer American troops stationed in Korea to Afghanistan.
Citing an unnamed source at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, Yonhap News reported that the Pentagon's Wallace Gregson, assistant secretary for Asia and Pacific affairs, told his Korean counterpart that the size of U.S. forces in Korea will remain the same.
There are currently around 29,000 U.S. troops in Korea.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/04/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
As I remember, Operation Team Spirit starts troop loading in Feb and went into full exercise mode in March. Something like 120-150k troops were moved to the ROK for the event.
Interesting if they were staged for the Afgan campaign instead, giving all those boys(Pak, AFG, DPR) a little cud to chew.
#5
Based on comments I've read here, Anguper Humosing9418, I've come to think it's to keep the South Korean army from heading north with blood in their collective eye after an egregious provocation.
[Iran Press TV Latest] A court in China has sentenced to death five people involved in the deadly ethnic unrest in its far-western Xinjiang province in July, a report says.
The official Xinhua news agency reported Thursday that two other people were sentenced to life imprisonment.
In October, nine were sentenced to death, out of the 21 convicted, and the rest were handed various prison terms.
The defendants were found guilty of crimes such as murder and robbery.
The unrest erupted on July 5, pitting Uighurs against majority Han ethnic group.
The clashes left at least 197 people dead and more than 1,600 injured, according to official figures.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2009 00:00 ||
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Nato's top official says countries will send at least 7,000 extra troops to support the US surge in Afghanistan. Speaking at a Nato summit in Brussels, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said there would be "more [troops] to come".
"At least 25 countries will send more forces to the mission in 2010," the Nato secretary general told reporters.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the response from Nato allies as "positive", but some major countries are holding back.
France and Germany, for instance, have not yet committed to sending extra troops.
"With the right resources, we can succeed," Mr Rasmussen told a news conference after allied foreign ministers met with representatives of non-Nato countries that have forces in Afghanistan.
Earlier, the Nato chief told delegates at Nato HQ that the coming year would "see a new momentum in this mission".
The BBC's Nick Childs, in Brussels, says the main thrust of Mr Rasmussen's speech was to insist on a message of solidarity, despite the challenges, and of unity behind mission.
"In addition to the clear pledges already tabled, we have heard indications ... that other allies and partners will probably be in a position to announce contributions in the coming weeks and months," Mr Rasmussen said.
"Isaf (International Security Assistance Force) will have at least 37,000 more soldiers in 2010 than it did this year," he said. "That is solidarity in action."
But many Nato governments face publics even more sceptical about the mission than those of the US and Britain. Even if more public announcements are forthcoming, turning these into firm pledges of the right troops at the right time and for the right missions, may take longer, our correspondent adds.
#1
Britain has pledged extra 500; Italy "about 1,000"; Poland 600; Portugal 150; Spain 200; Slovakia 250; Macedonia 80
OK, that's 2780, 4220 short. Though I'm surprised by Italy's addition because Herat is quiet, unless they are all trainers.
Non-Nato member Georgia sending 900, South Korea 500
Why should Georgia bother after 2008's screwing by all NATO members. Same for Poland, under the Obama Express bus to Marxville.
Posted by: ed ||
12/04/2009 8:12 Comments ||
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#2
Georgia wants combat experience for its troops I suppose, and weapons. And they could easily have gotten even less support, at least from the US.
Poland I think is not as obsessed about the missile defense system as US consies are. There is more to our relationship than that.
My impression is that Herat is only relatively quiet, its not incident free.
Yeah, I am still curious to see where the remaining 4000 troops will come from.
#3
I do get the impression that Italy is providing 1000, rather than zero, almost completely on the basis of the change in attitude there due to BHO's speech.
#4
Poland doesn't give a damn about missile defense. They want American troops in country as insurance against invasion.
Posted by: ed ||
12/04/2009 9:51 Comments ||
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#5
Berlusconi will step up to the extent that his people will let them, and it doesn't hurt that Herat is (relatively) quiet. It's appreciated.
Imagine the Italian response if Prodi were still prime minister.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/04/2009 9:53 Comments ||
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#6
I've been in Italy twice in the last few years, for several weeks at a time. In both visits I've listened to locals spontaneously express anger about waves of illegals (often but not solely Muslim) boating into Italy and about Chinese illegal, lowpaid manufacturing labor that has destroyed jobs there.
#9
LH, please tell me you're not over twenty five?
The missile defense debacle was one of the dumbest and most damaging (and despicable) errors in recent history. And in context, a very clear "eff u" after Poland had leaned very far forward in support in since 9/11.
Bambi's speech changed attitudes in Italy? Surely you jest.
Georgian troops won't see combat, and are extremely unlikely to be suitable for same. Experience and support for the US and NATO are indeed the reasons - but I know from direct contact that confidence in both has plummeted (well, the Euros were always seen as pretty useless, the Americans only since we beclowned ourselves last year).
The Afghan mission will never be as multi-lateral as Iraq was (oops - that's one of those super-secret open facts that nobody can talk about). But that of course is utterly unimportant. Apart from the Brits and the Canadians and the special forces Olympics, only the US forces do the critical tasks.
#11
Verlaine - I haven't seen evidence that our overall relationship with Poland has been hurt that badly.
Italy - based on an report I heard on the radio, quoting someone from Corriere de Serra (sp?) the big paper there.
Georgians in combat - I defer to you
Less multilateral than Iraq - Not comparing troop numbers, or combat deaths so far, IIUC. Yeah, mainly Brits, Canadians, Aussie and Dutch, but then most non US troops in Iraq were from a handful of countries. Are you simply counting the number of countries - most in Iraq were small countries, with small contributions. In Afghanistan we have our key allies, including France and Germany (though of course they need to do more)
Anyway the whole debate about the use of the word "unilateral" for Iraq was kind of silly. Yes, we had lots of countries who went with us, so it was multilateral. But we went in without the support of the UNSC, including two of our major allies. So it wasnt multilateral like Gulf War 1 was. Anyway, you will note I never went in for the "unilateral" criticism of the Iraq war.
#13
France will have to try and save face, either by finding an alternate (special forces or military police trainers, civil engineering), or really going the extra mile and scrapping ressources to find re-inforcements, but it's as much if not more a "cannot" rather than "won't" issue. It's not like the gvt can swap troops fitted to peacekeeping/policing in some african officious protectorate to afghanistan, therre simply aren't the same equipment prerequesites (the Sagaie armored car in afghanistan? Yeah, suuuuuuurrrrre).
#14
France is still in a fix from DeGaulle's chopping of the Foreign Legion : they lost 17K troops, their independent air force, and most of their armor. Those are about the only troops outside of the Paratroopers that the French can rely on for actual combat. Too many other units are 15-25% Muslim now.
#15
ION WAFF > SIMIL ARTIC > seems the Bammer = USA is also considering EXPANSION OF DRONE STRIKE OPERS AGZ AL-QAEDA + TALIBAN BROUPS, ETC. INSIDE PAKISTAN, to includ STRIKES AGZ AFGHAN TALIBAN IN BALUCHISTAN.
* PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > DEBKA Artic = IRAN SUCCESFULLY SIMULATES NUCLEAR DETONATION, under Laboratory conditions.
It's been brought to my attention by several reliable sources that the Defense Department has brought Louay Safi to Fort Hood as an instructor, and that he has been lecturing on Islam to our troops in Fort Hood who are about to deploy to Afghanistan. Safi is a top official of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and served as research director at the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT).
Worse, last evening, Safi was apparently permitted to present a check (evidently on behalf of ISNA) to the families of the victims of last month's Fort Hood massacre. A military source told the blogger Barbarossa at the Jawa Report: "This is nothing short of blood money. This is criminal and the Ft. Hood base commander should be fired right now."
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#1
Somebody at Fort Hood Should Be Walking the Plank
NO! The SECDEF should be Walking the Plank! This would NEVER have been approved without Gates and Barry being directly involved. It is simply too hot a topic.
#2
Have to disagree B. The unique aspect of an effective American military is to allow your subordinates the ability to operate without a Mother-May-I command structure. However, when the 'command' blunders, you find other people to fill the post. This is the Tillman cover up Part Deux. It's time for some people to have their retirement papers in yesterday.
#3
Well, it appears we'll have to agree to disagree. I just cannot fathom anyone, Commander, III Corps and Fort Hood or anyone else setting this scenario in motion without a high level Pentagon thumbs up.
Pakistani Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani has dismissed his British counterpart's speculations that Islamabad should do more to capture the al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
During an official visit to Downing Street on Thursday, Gilani told British Prime Minister Gordon Brown that while the US had failed, so far, to provide any "actionable" intelligence on bin Laden's hideout, it was doubtful that the fugitive was even in his territory.
"I doubt the information which you are giving is correct because I don't think Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan," he told reporters in a joint press conference at No. 10.
Brown urged Pakistan over the weekend to step up efforts and hunt down bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Eight years after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, under the stated aim of capturing the al Qaeda head and his high-ranking deputies as well as removing the Taliban regime, Western intelligence officials are now pointing their finger at Pakistan, claiming that both men are hiding in the country's tribal northern areas.
"People are going to ask why, eight years after 2001, Osama bin Laden has never been near to being caught... and what can the Pakistani authorities do that is far more effective," Brown told Sky news on Sunday.
However, Brown also commended Gilani on Thursday for his leadership, adding that Pakistan had made "huge sacrifices" in its battle against terrorism.
He went on to announce a new anti-terror funding, worth £50 million ($83 million), to help Pakistan pacify its border regions with Afghanistan.
While Terror attacks have left some 2,000 people dead since 2008, the inaccurate and arbitrary US drone attacks on Pakistani soil have also left hundreds of civilian deaths.
The meeting comes days after President Obama announced plans to deploy an extra 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, with the UK committing 500 more soldiers with the condition that other allies join in the dramatic escalation of the battle against the Taliban militants.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
And jeopardize the billions in infidel aid? I think not.
Posted by: ed ||
12/04/2009 0:42 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] The European Union accused Israel on Thursday of actively pursuing the annexation of Arab east Jerusalem and undermining hopes for peace with Palestinians, a confidential report obtained by AFP revealed.
I think the Israelis did that in, oh, 1967 or so ...
The annual report drafted by the EU heads of missions in Jerusalem accused Israel of implementing in 2009 an intricate policy which includes expanding Jewish settlements and demolishing Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem.
"Developments in east Jerusalem in 2009 were marked by the continued expansion of Israeli settlements and a considerable number of Palestinian house demolitions and eviction orders," said the report, published first by Israel's liberal Haaretz daily.
Israel occupied and annexed east Jerusalem in 1967 and considers it its "eternal indivisible capital" in a move never recognized by the international community.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2009 00:00 ||
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Is the EU looking into returning Silesia to Germany? /rhet question.
#2
So you can now illegally annex part of your own country? So when the British or French decide to redevelop the Muslim ghettos in their countries, will that be illegal annexation as well?
[Iran Press TV Latest] Some Israeli Knesset members opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's partial settlement freeze are drafting a bill to unfreeze settlement construction.
Opposing Likud and Kadima parties' members said on Thursday that they are drafting a resolution that will exclude large settlement blocs from a 10-month building lull, which applies to areas in the West Bank, Maan news agency quoted the Ma'ariv as saying.
The left-leaning Kadima party's Otniel Schneller said he will support the plan.
The draft would be a political embarrassment to Netanyahu, the daily said.
To defuse tensions, Netanyahu invited West Bank settler leaders on Thursday to discuss the settlement freeze. Despite his pleas, the defiant leaders rejected his petition and vowed to keep confronting security forces sent to enforce the edict.
In the West Bank, settlers blocked inspectors from entering a settlement to search for unauthorized construction, the third straight day of such confrontations. There has been no violence, but authorities have made at least six arrests.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2009 00:00 ||
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I havent seen this on Jpost or haaretz generally better sources on Israeli politcis than Press TV (do they even have a reporter there? Maybe this is a wire service story I missed)
I am guessing this is some folks from the right wing of Likud (yes likud has relative moderates) who are trying to put counterpressure on Bibi. Schneller of Kadima is just being opportunist and is not in line, AFAIK, with Livni's public statements.
Top political leader of the Hamas movement in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, has ruled out reports that the prisoner of war, Gilad Shalit, has been moved to Egypt as part of the efforts to reach a prisoner swap deal with Israel.
In an interview with Qatar-based al-Jazeera news network on Thursday, Hamdan said that the news reports about moving Shalit to Egypt are fake and meant to pressure Hamas amidst the ongoing indirect swap talks.
The Hamas leader added that the indirect talks are still ongoing through the German mediator, and that they are still focused on Hamas' demand for the release of 1000 Palestinians being held captive in Israeli prisons.
Hamas prisoner deal with Israel now depends on the fate of 15 Palestinian detainees, especially Marwan Barghouthi of the Fatah movement, Secretary General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Ahmad Saadat, Amna Mona, and two other female detainees. The remaining ten prisoners are senior leaders of Hamas' armed wing, the Ezzedeen Al-Kasam Brigades.
Israel would likely release 980 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped by Hamas more than three years ago, the Israeli 'State Prosecution' has said.
It also claimed the government would likely free the 450 prisoners that Hamas has asked for in exchange for Shalit, as well as an additional 530 prisoners, as a "gesture to the Palestinians."
The decision was made, according to the Israeli media, by the High Court of Justice responding to a petition filed by Amagor Israeli group and three bereaved families against the prisoner swap deal.
The bereaved families wanted the court to reveal why the criteria for prisoner release was not made public and why there is military censorship on information that should be available to the public.
More than 11,500 Palestinians, including women and children, are currently imprisoned in Israeli detention facilities, suffering harsh and life-threatening conditions.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
ION TOPIX > JONATHAN POLLARD: ISRAEL SHOULD KILL TERRORISTS "ONE BY ONE" [not release them]UNTIL SHALIT IS RELEASED.
Israel has barred Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, head of the Higher Islamic Committee in Jerusalem Al-Quds, from the Al-Aqsa Mosque for six months.
The restriction order was handed to Sheikh Sabri, the Khatib (speaker) of the Al- Aqsa Mosque, immediately after he returned to the country on Wednesday after leading a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Israeli authorities in Jerusalem Al -Quds ordered Sheikh Sabri to report to the city's police headquarters in order to 'officially' receive the order.
His lawyer, Khalid Zabarqa, demanded that the police to grant him more time to rest after his travel, but the request was rejected by the police, who threatened to arrest the Sheikh if he refused to comply. .
Sheikh Sabri was then forced to go to the Al Maskobiyya interrogation center to receive the order.
"No occupying power can prevent Muslims from praying in mosques," Sheikh Sabri said.
This is not the first time Israeli officials have prevented Muslim figures from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Earlier, Israel had barred Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic movement in the occupied Palestine, and Hatem Abdel Kader, an official responsible for the city's affairs in the Palestinian government, from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2009 00:00 ||
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[Ma'an] Ma'an -- Hamas has no desire to establish its own political system in the Gaza Strip, senior leader Moussa Abu Marzouq said on Thursday.
Abu Marzouq, the deputy chief of Hamas' Political Bureau, issued a statement denying a report in the Saudi newspaper Okaz that the group aims to establish its own independent entity in Gaza.
The official said Hamas is working to preserve the political unity of the West Bank and Gaza.
He also said that Hamas is committed to all previous accords for unity with rival movement Fatah, but that they still want changes to Egypt's most recent proposal for unity.
Hamas also welcomes any additions Fatah may make to the document, he said.
Hamas won Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006 and then took full control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, fearing a Fatah coup. After the takeover, President Mahmoud Abbas dissolved a unity government, leaving the West Bank and Gaza under separate administrations.
Also on Thursday, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the group is engaged in ongoing talks with Egypt about a potential reconciliation with Fatah.
He told Ma'an, however, the group has received no invitations to any potential meetings on the subject in Cairo.
"We are still assuring that the signing [of a unity deal] has to be after a discussion of the amendments to the Egyptian proposal," Barhoum said, referring to Cairo's plan to reunite.
Hamas declined to sign the Egyptian plan in October after Egypt asked both it and Fatah to give a yes or no response. Hamas asked for changes to the document.
Barhoum said that Hamas wants to reach a genuine reconciliation that would end the present political divide and reunite the Palestinian people. The group does not want a fake reconciliation that would cause the situation to deteriorate, he said.
The spokesman also said that if Hamas received an invitation from Cairo, it would be ready to discuss changes to the reconciliation plan.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
nope they want all of Palestine/israel and probably including transjordan as well.
But they will take West Bank/gaza, if they can get it.
But no, being confined to Gaza doesnt work for them.
#2
I think this was a message intended for the PA leadership (and some Arab countries) which is considering a 3 state (Israel, Palestine, Gaza) solution.
Posted by: lord garth ||
12/04/2009 10:32 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] The United States warned on Thursday that time was running out for Iran to avoid sanctions over its nuclear program and that Tehran's deadline was still the end of the year for responding to international demands, as the Syrian President defended Iran's nuclear program in his talks with an Iranian top official in Damascus.
"Time is running out. That deadline is the end of the year," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters in a news briefing.
Iran has resisted a deal with Western powers that would see its low-enriched uranium sent abroad for processing into uranium for making fuel. Gibbs said it was "pretty clear" that the Iranians were backing out of that agreement.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Or what?
Another really stern speech and threat of sanctions? Bambi will do nothing besides talk, and the whole world sees him for the empty suit he is in world affairs.
#2
WAFF/PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM/WORLD NEWS > IRAN
[indirectly] THREATENS AMERICA WITH A NUCLEAR BOMB, via its threatened pullout or abandonment of the NPT.
ARTIC > includes FOUR-DAY WAR ME SCENARIO includ 911-ish NUKE TERROR AIR ATTACK AGZ ISRAEL by mil transport covertly carrying PAK-supplied Nucbombs.
* OBAMA SPEECH > believes that RadicaL Islam not only desires to procure NUCWEAPS + OTHER ADVANCED MILTECHS, BUT ULTIMATELY INTENDS TO USE SAME AGZ ENEMIES IN ORDER TO CARRY OUT IS ISLAMIST AGENDAS.
IOW, NUKULAAR MILITANCY-TERRORISM > not a question of "IF", BUT "WHEN".
[Iran Press TV Latest] China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang says the country will support negotiations to find a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear issue. "China hopes that Iran will cooperate with the IAEA and we hope to see the early settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiation," AFP quoted the spokesman as saying on Tuesday.
"We will continue to push forward the settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue through negotiation, as always," he added.
He noted that a recent IAEA resolution against Iran does not aim at more sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
"Sanctions are not the goal of the resolution. We should properly solve this issue through dialogue and negotiation," the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2009 00:00 ||
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An international Israeli conspiracy to kidnap children and harvest their organs is gathering momentum as another shocking story divulges Tel Aviv's plot to import Ukrainian children and harvest their organs.
The story brings to light the fact that Israel has brought some 25,000 Ukrainian children into the occupied entity over the past two years in order to harvest their organs. It cites a Ukrainian man's fruitless search for 15 children who had been adopted in Israel. The children had clearly been taken by Israeli medical centers, where they were used for 'spare parts'.
The account was unveiled five days ago by a Ukrainian philosophy professor and author, Vyacheslav Gudin, at a pseudo-academic conference in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. Gudin told an estimated 300 attendees of the Kiev conference that it was essential that all Ukrainians be made aware of the genocide Israel was perpetrating.
The conference also featured two professors who presented a book blaming "the Zionists" for the Ukrainian famine of the 1930s, as well as the country's current condition.
Meanwhile, Ukrainians demonstrated outside the Israeli Embassy in Kiev on Tuesday to protest a letter signed by 26 Knesset members (MKs) condemning what they described as anti-Semitic remarks by presidential candidate Sergey Ratushnyak. Protesters chanted 'Ukraine isn't the Gaza Strip,' suggesting that they consider the effort by the Israeli MKs as an intervention in their country.
A story, published in the Arabic-language Algerian daily al-Khabar in September, reported that Interpol, the international police organization, has revealed the existence of 'a Jewish gang' that was 'involved in the abduction of children from Algeria and trafficking of their organs.'
According to the story, bands of Moroccans and Algerians had been roaming the streets of Algerian cities in an attempt to hunt around for young children. They then trafficked the kids across the border into the neighboring Morocco.
The children were then sold to Israelis and American Jews in Oujda, the capital of eastern Morocco, for the purpose of organ harvest in Israel and the United States.
The story is based on statements made by Mustafa Khayatti, head of the Algerian National Committee for the Development of Health Research. Khayatti maintains that the abduction of children in Algeria is linked to arrests made in New York and New Jersey at the end of July, in which several Jewish men were among the 44 arrested in connection to an investigation into illegal organ trafficking and political corruption.
The story comes in line with the article published last month in Aftonbladet, Sweden's largest circulation daily, suggesting that the Israeli army kidnapped and killed young Palestinians to harvest their organs. It shed light on the case of Bilal Ahmed Ghanem, a 19-year-old Palestinian man, who was shot dead in 1992 by Israeli forces in the West Bank village of Imatin.
Bostrom, who witnessed the man's killing, said Ghanem's body was abducted following the shooting and was returned at midnight, during an imposed curfew, several days later by the Israeli military with a cut from the stomach to the neck that had been stitched up.
Bostrom argued that an autopsy would be required if the cause of death was not apparent, while in this case it was clear that Bilal was shot dead.
After that incident, at least 20 Palestinian families told Bostrom that they suspected that the Israeli military had taken the organs of their sons after they had been killed and then taken away by Israeli forces before being dropped back in the area.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#2
Grom, google his name, this already is making the rounds of the usual suspects, with verbatim from this article (sadly, quite a few hits seem to be from french sources, tho the first ones are from french jewish media ressources unlikely to fall for this stunt).
Anyway, this is so over the top it's hysterical, but I'm sure it will prove a correct-to-good propagnada ploy, I mean, there is a fertile ground, with Israeli organized crime's trackback of human traffiking looking at it objectively, and the NJ mob ring of a few months back (organ traffiking, not organ theft, but it's enough to feed the hype, especially if you factor in the "rabbi" buttons).
#3
Btw, a couple french jewish sources say it's part of an upsurge of antisemitic rethoric linked to the presidential election; anyone here has more infos on that snippet?
[Ma'an] Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah held talks on Wednesday with senior Hamas officials in Lebanon.
Hamas was represented by officials Muhammad Nasr, Osama Hamdan, and Munir Said.
According to a statement carried on Hizbullah's news channel Al-Manar, the two sides discussed "the international and regional situation in light of the confusion the US administration is experiencing in its approach to the crises arising from its aggressive policies in our Arab and Islamic region, particularly its blatant bias [in favor of] the Israeli stances and practices against the Palestinian people, their rights and interests."
Officials from both groups also expressed satisfaction with the Lebanese cabinet's adoption on Wednesday of a platform that allows Hizbullah to retain its military arsenal.
The sides also stressed the importance of "Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue" and the need to strengthen bilateral relations.
Meanwhile, Lebanese newspapers reported that President Mahmoud Abbas is to travel to Beirut on Monday for meetings with his Lebanese counterpart, Michel Sleiman, and other top officials.
The talks reportedly will focus on the rights of the 422,000 Palestinian refugees who live in exile in Lebanon.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/04/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hezbollah
#1
See also IRNA > LARIJANI: IRAN ADAMANT TO SUPPORT HAMAS, HIZBOLLAH [Larij says the Mil-Econ powerful USA had brought only FIASCO + ultimately FAILURE TO IRAQ].
#2
ISRAELI/OTH MIL FORUMS > thanks to LEBANON's GOVT's formal suppor or tolerance in allowing HIZB to keep its arms on "sovereign" Lebanese territory, ISRAEL CAN NOW CONSIDER ANY TERRSTRIKE(S) BY HIZB AGZ ISRAELI TARGETS TO BE A DE FACTO MIL ATTACK BY SOVEREIGN LEBANON AGZ ISRAEL.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Dawn] Italy is to send between 500 and 1,500 troop reinforcements to Afghanistan in 2010 to back US President Barack Obama's new war strategy, a source in the defence ministry told AFP on Thursday. 
Yemen's Houthi fighters warn about the "disastrous" humanitarian conditions in the northern Sa'adah province, where they say the Saudi army is targeting civilians. 
[Ma'an] Ma'an -- Hamas has no desire to establish its own political system in the Gaza Strip, senior leader Moussa Abu Marzouq said on Thursday.
[Ma'an] Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah held talks on Wednesday with senior Hamas officials in Lebanon.
